


The Longest First Date

by kelleigh (girlfromcarolina)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Coma, M/M, Meet-Cute, Take Two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24683890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlfromcarolina/pseuds/kelleigh
Summary: Jensen is slumped over the bar, trying to look closed-off and unappealing. Going home with someone is the last thing on his mind, until a face from his past turns the night upside down.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 34
Kudos: 161
Collections: Where Every Birthday is Bangin'





	The Longest First Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dugindeep (hotsauce)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotsauce/gifts).



> My Darling Amy ~ I can’t think of a better birthday fic for you than my submission for the 2020 Coma Big Bang! I hope you enjoy this <3

“You look like you’re ready for another drink. Why don’t you let me take care of that for you, handsome?”

The words drip like sweet syrup into Jensen’s ear. He turns his head a fraction to see a young man with over-styled hair and a lip piercing leaning against the bar beside him. He’s good-looking, muscles visible under his tight green T-shirt, yet Jensen barely blinks at his appearance.

“I’m good, thanks.”

Pierced-lip doesn’t accept the brush-off. “How about a dance then? You look like a man who could teach me a few moves,” he purrs, angling his body for maximum effect.

“Sorry, kid, but I didn’t come here to dance. I’m sure you’ll find someone else.”

That earns him a pout. There are nights when Jensen would have said yes to that pretty face, despite the age difference, but not tonight.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” the kid says, slinking away towards the crowded dance floor.

The bartender, a tall and unfairly gorgeous man, approaches Jensen with a knowing smile after watching the entire exchange. “That’s a shame,” he says, ignoring Jensen’s glare, “I’ve heard good things about him. Aleks told me about this thing he does with his tongue—”

“Alright, stop. Jesus, Moh, that’s not what I need to hear right now.”

Tahmoh, his best friend and owner of the gay bar where Jensen is currently slumped over the bartop trying his best to look closed off and unappealing, starts to laugh. Jensen tries to block it out—there are plenty of other sounds between the music, the cheering, and the laughter of happy partiers on a Thursday night.

“Why are you even here tonight?” Tahmoh asks, checking over his shoulder to make sure the three other bartenders aren’t swamped. “You know you get hit on relentlessly.”

“I was hoping everyone would be distracted by your pretty face.”

“Stop flirting with me,” Tahmoh deadpans. “You can pay for your drinks like everybody else.” 

In reality, Jensen will _try_ to pay for his drinks, but more often than not Tahmoh “forgets” to give him a check at the end of the night, which makes sense seeing as half of the draft beers Tahmoh serves come from Jensen’s local brewery.

Tahmoh leans over the bar to keep their conversation as private as possible in the popular night-spot. “It’s not a bad thing if you want to hook up with someone, Jen. Just because Steven turned out to be an asshole, doesn’t mean you should cut yourself off.”

“I _seriously_ didn’t come here for that,” Jensen reiterates. He’s gone home with several guys over the last couple of years since Tahmoh opened this place with his partner. “I just didn’t feel like cooking and I can’t watch the FC Dallas game at home,” he adds, nodding up at the bar television which is playing the soccer match. Jensen, of course, is the only person paying attention. “What’s wrong with that?”

Tahmoh shrugs. “Nothing, just making sure.”

“Then mind your own business,” Jensen says with a smirk, knowing Tahmoh will do no such thing.

Tahmoh looks up, his eyes focused over Jensen’s shoulder. “Heads up,” he whispers. “Here comes another contestant!”

“Do something useful and grab me another beer.”

As Tahmoh walks away laughing, Jensen feels someone brush his right side as they pull out the empty barstool and take a seat. Jensen hopes that this person is just here to order a drink, but that hope is dashed when he glances over and sees the newcomer grinning at him softly.

“Hi.”

As far as pickup lines go, that’s generic as fuck. Jensen tilts his head to show that he heard before turning back to the fresh beer Tahmoh sets in front of him.

“What’ll it be?” Tahmoh asks the man, who’s still looking over at Jensen. “Beer? Whiskey? Something colorful with an umbrella?”

The man chuckles softly, and there’s something about the sound that has Jensen turning in his seat.

“I don’t know, it’s kinda been a while,” he says, continuing to chuckle like he’s just told a particularly funny joke. “I don’t think I’ll be able to decide, so why don’t you surprise me?”

“You got it.”

When Tahmoh turns away, the guy looks over again. “I’d offer to get you something, but it seems like you’re all set.”

“Yup, thanks though.” Jensen figures that’s it; he’s made his disinterest pretty clear, though there’s definitely something familiar about this guy. Maybe Jensen has seen him in here before. If he wasn’t committed to flying solo tonight, he might even consider striking up a conversation, because at least this guy hasn’t thrown a cheesy pickup line at him. _Yet._

Tahmoh brings over two drinks—one of Jensen’s company’s lighter brews and a shot that looks sweet and fruity. “Just in case,” Tahmoh says as he sets them down with a wink, taking the money the guy hands over. Jensen grins to himself at his friend’s selections.

“Careful with the shot,” Jensen warns him. “They taste good, but they always pack a punch.”

The guy’s face lights up. Jensen can admit to himself that he’s attractive in a fragile kind of way. He might be tall, but he’s thin—his clothes are nice, yet they hang off his frame as if he still expects to hit a growth spurt despite being in his late twenties—and too pale for summer in Texas. His eyes are gorgeous though, and his sincere smile beats the hell out of anyone else who’s approached Jensen tonight.

“Thanks for the advice.” He takes a sip of the beer, pressing his lips together and humming in pleasure. Jensen has to discreetly adjust himself in his seat. “Damn, that tastes amazing. First beer in a long time, you know?”

“No, but I can imagine.” Jensen brings his own beer to his lips and takes a long, appreciative swallow, aware that he’s being watched. A shiver runs down his spine at the attention—attention he didn’t think he wanted tonight. Tahmoh is gone, serving a sweaty group taking a break from the dance floor, leaving Jensen and his new companion relatively alone at the end of the bar.

Jensen is pondering what he could say next when the guy beats him to it.

“I guess you don’t remember me,” he states calmly, nothing cruel or accusatory in his words. “I wouldn’t blame you, it’s been almost a year since you last saw me.”

Jensen frowns and studies the man’s face, the long limbs and narrow waist. There’s a fond memory floating around in his brain, just out of reach. It’s not until the guy ducks his head shyly that it’s finally in his grasp.

“We met here,” Jensen mutters in disbelief as he begins to remember. “We—”

“You invited me home,” the guy says with half a smile. “I’ll always regret saying no, even though I turned you down because I wanted a little more than a one night stand.”

The memory flickers before bursting to life in Jensen’s mind. “Jared,” he says confidently. “Your name is Jared.”

“You have no idea how good it is to see you again, Jensen,” Jared says with an odd conviction. “Trust me.”

Jensen isn’t sure what he should be feeling. He remembers meeting Jared right here in Tahmoh’s bar, although the man he’d flirted with back then looked very different. There’s no doubt it’s the same person—Jensen dreamed about those eyes for weeks after they met—only the Jared in his memories had a heavier build with broad shoulders and thick thighs. Jensen had wanted to take him home and ride him ‘til the sun came up, or vice versa, and he’d thought the feeling was mutual until Jared turned down what would have been a sure thing.

“You asked for my number,” Jensen says as the picture sharpens. “You never called.”

“Yeah, I…” Jared sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “I was kinda out of commission for a while.”

“And now?”

“Now I’m seeing everything in a whole new light.” Jared says it with wonder and sincerity. He’s not just feeding Jensen a line.

Jensen is surprised to find himself engaged; he’d been disappointed when Jared ghosted him. “Sounds like something happened to you.”

Jared hesitates, running his fingers up and down his beer glass, drawing thick lines through the condensation. 

“I’m not trying to pry,” Jensen assures him. “You don’t actually owe me an explanation. Hell, we can finish our drinks in silence if you want.”

“It’s okay,” Jared tells him, shaking his head. “Um, I was kinda in a coma.”

Jensen scowls as the words sink in. He can’t believe this is what he gets for showing interest. “Look, I was trying to be nice here. You’re the one that never—”

“No, I was really in a coma!”

Jensen stops and stares, having no idea how to respond. All it takes is one look into Jared’s eyes to understand he’s telling the truth, no matter how crazy it sounds.

“Came out of it a little over a month ago,” he’s explaining. “I know I don’t look the same as I did before, but that’s what being under for seven months does to a guy, I guess.”

The joke falls flat. “Seven months, Jesus.”

“I’ve been out of the hospital for three weeks.” He can tell Jared is trying to keep the mood light while Jensen processes the revelation. “Figured I’d treat myself to an actual night out now that no one is hovering or keeping an eye on me.”

“So, you’re here to let loose?”

Jared smiles again, his eyes lighting up. “I don’t know if I can let loose,” he admits, “but I can definitely enjoy a drink with a really good looking guy without overdoing things.”

Jensen looks around before pointing to himself and smirking, earning a laugh from a visibly relieved Jared. As they sip their beers slowly, they talk about things Jared has missed (“I kinda wish I’d woken up to a different president, you know?”) and Jensen’s thriving business (“This is one of yours? Damn, it’s awesome!”). The nightlife is pulsing and alive around them, but the two of them have eyes only for each other.

The connection between them was there months ago, Jensen remembers that too. 

“What else do you miss?” he asks. “Anything I can help you check off the list?”

Jared’s gaze is warm and inviting when he looks over. “It’s a pretty long list, Jensen.”

“How about we start with getting out of here?”

Jared sets his hand over Jensen’s on top of the bar. For a moment, he’s afraid he’s about to be rejected again until he sees the earnest look on Jared’s face. 

“I’m not gonna say no again, trust me, but I might only be up for some non-strenuous activities, if you know what I mean,” Jared says carefully, like Jensen is going to change his mind.

Jensen smirks. “Non-strenuous, huh? I can handle that.” 

He’s thinking about some quality time on his sofa, watching a movie that Jared missed while he was in the coma. He throws two $10 bills on the bar to cover what he’s had and catches Tahmoh’s grin out of the corner of his eye. He’ll ignore his friend’s smug expression for now.

“I didn’t think I’d be taking anyone home tonight,” he confesses as they head for the door side by side.

“I don’t know,” Jared muses, “I saw the guy with the pierced lip earlier, and he looked pretty determined!” His laughter is too vibrant for Jensen to feel grumpy about that comment. “But seriously, I’m glad you changed your mind for me.”

So is Jensen. Maybe fate had something in mind for him when no one else had turned his head tonight; destiny had something better in store. And he has a feeling he would be willing to do a lot more than change his mind to make Jared happy.

Once they’re outside, Jared bumps his shoulder. They can still hear the music from inside the bar and there are plenty of people out enjoying the warm night. 

Suddenly, Jared starts laughing. Jensen pulls up short and looks over with a raised brow. “It just occurred to me that this might be the longest first date in history,” Jared says, reaching out to take Jensen’s hand.

“We can call Guinness World Records tomorrow,” Jensen replies, pulling Jared closer. “Tonight, you’re all mine.”

FIN.


End file.
